When Retrogaming meets modern technology

The retro-bit Super Retro Trio arrived in the post this morning. Sick of the delays with the RetroN5, I cancelled my preorder at the weekend after the word got out that the console would not be reaching the UK before September and found this alternative in stock at funstock.co.uk at the very tempting price of £69.99 a full £50 cheaper than its competitor.

The cheaper price tag, however does mean less in the way of features. No save states or built-in cheat systems, no HDMI output. I wasn't interested in the former, and I can live with AV/S-video through my SCART connector. So what do you get for your money? Here's what the official blurb says:

Supports NES/SNES/MEGADRIVE/GENESIS

Compatible with original and third party controllers

Includes 2 controllers

AV / S-Video connectors

AC Adapter

PAL / NTSC / PF / NJ Region Switch

What you get is quite a nice looking console, it feels a bit light and cheap but hey – it was cheap! I have the silver and black model, there is also a red and black version. The top of the unit sports 3 cartridge slots from the back coming forward – NES, SNES and Megadrive/Genesis, in front of these are a reset switch and a power/slot selection switch.

On the front a push releases the cover for the controller ports, here you can plug in original controllers 2xNES, 2xSNES and 2xMegadrive/Genesis. The 2 included controllers plug into the 9 pin Megadrive ports but are shaped like SNES controllers just to keep you on your toes! ;)

The bundled controllers are actually very decent and for that reason will probably see a fair amount of use, the buttons and d-pad give a very similar feel to those on my original controllers. Also behind this front cover is a selector switch for the controllers in use and a region switch for Megadrive/Genesis games for those with region protection. As mentioned there is a cover/door so you can unplug your controllers and close it up to keep things looking all neat and tidy when not in use.

Finally round back there are the DC in socket, S-video and A/V ports. The provided power adaptor has a US plug but does not require a step down converter and an UK adapter was provided for me.

My TV had some issues with the video signal through the A/V (this is not exclusive to the SR3 – I've had this issue in the past) so I use a cheap A/V+S-Video to SCART adapter and it works fine for me.

Now, the big question – compatibility! I don't have a huge pile of carts to test especially on the Nintendo side of things so here's what I have tried all work unless otherwise specified.

Megadrive:

M6 cart (Sega Soccer, Columns, Super Monaco GP, Revenge of Shinobi, Sonic, Streets of Rage) so far played Sonic, Revenge of Shinobi and Super Monaco GP

World Class Leaderboard

T2 The Arcade Game

Golden Axe

Streetfighter 2 Special Champion Edition

Genesis:

Lemmings

NES:

Track and Field 2 (PAL version)

SNES:

PGA Tour Golf (PAL)

Starwing (PAL) 

That's all I've tested on it so far I'm afraid, I need to acquire some more NES and SNES games to try out but it seems to be fine with every Megadrive game I've thrown at it. There is also a Super Retro Advance Adapter (sold seperately) that allows you to play GBA games as well.

In conclusion I'd say it's really good value for what you pay, it looks nice and doesn't look out of place under the TV, the controllers are decent, it might not have all those fancy features or HDMI but it is available now and cheap enough  to be worth a shot.

You can buy your own RetroTrio console here at Funstock.co.uk

Thank you too Jamie Gunn (@highlandboarder) for his time and review! 

Summer Of Sonic 2013 Review - by AudioSprite

Prologue 
Being a life long fan of not just Sega but especially its high speed hero with attitude, I was delighted to gain the chance to attend this celebration of Sonic The Hedgehog. An entirely fan run event established in 2008, full of contests, cosplay, guest appearances and more, all in the name of the blue blur himself, located in the heart of Westminster, London.

I could hardly contain my excitement, great landmarks like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and such other tourist hotspots seemed of little interest, I had one thing and one thing only on my mind, the event!

The Event 
After proceeding past the usual ticket inspection I was greeted with a free “Goodie Bag” Inside I found a Sonic hat, event programme and 20th Anniversary issue of “Sonic The Comic” Something I hadn’t read since my childhood, today was already shaping up to be a great one. Entering the first hall I was instantly taken back by the sea of blue that lay before me. All peoples of every age, race, colour and creed all united for the love of one Hedgehog and his many adventures, proudly wearing their Sonic hats!

The first hall also housed the merchandise stall for the day, stacked high with all manner of toys, books, clothes and accessories, I found myself returning to this often throughout the day, as it had some rare pieces such as a limited edition “History of Sonic” which I was determined to pick up.

The main hall housed many testing consoles for Sonic’s upcoming adventure “Sonic Lost World” Which unfortunately I did not get chance to play, but from what I saw looked promising and seems Sega are building upon the success of Sonic Generations release two years before. The main stage was also situated here, were we would later be treated to some very special guests, back in the first hall, two of them were being announced.

The Guests First to kick off the appearances, an art class with Sonic the Comic writers and artists, Nigel Dobbyn and Nigel Kitching, during which a contest open to all abilities was held for the best Sonic fan art. The level of which was pretty outstanding and could easily have been drawn from the masters themselves. From the main hall the” Megadrive Band” was providing a nice backdrop with Sega classics such as Golden Axe, Shinobi and Streets of Rage to name a few, somethi
ng which I could whole heartedly relate too. There were also various cosplay entries being made, including Dr. Robotnik/Eggman, Amy and Sonic, so there was always something to keep your attention focused.

Taking live Q&A sessions where Sonic Team director Takashi Iizuka and lead art director Kazuyuki Hoshino. Though most of the discussion was about Sega’s upcoming release for the Nintendo Wii and 3DS, it was nice to hear their thoughts on the 20th Anniversary since the creation of Sonic CD and its introduction of characters, Metal Sonic and Amy. I found it especially interesting listening to Mr Hoshino taking us through the characters first concept art into their finished development.

After various announcements for competition winners and yet another walk past the merchandise stand the last of our guests was just warming up. This was the moment I had been waiting for, being a musician and lover of the Sonic soundtracks, the arrivial of lead sound engineer and guitarist for Sonic Teams house band Crush 40, Jun Senoue was a real treat.

Hitting the stage and opening the one hour set with Sky Sanctuary Zone from Sonic and Knuckles the crowd was instantly hooked. The set would also be filled with tunes from the Sonic Adventure games, Sonic Free Riders, Sonic heroes and many more. Also during the set other key members that have performed on the vocal tracks for Sonic more modern games made an appearance. The set would also end with all members joined together for a rendition of “City Escape” from Sonic Adventure 2.


Summary 
As a gamer and fan of all things Sega, especially Sonic, it was a real joy to see how much love and support the Hedgehog with attitude still receives over 20 years from his original release in 1991. Seeing kids proudly clutching their favourite characters cuddly toy and the look of wonder on their faces took me back to my own childhood and why I became such a big fan to begin with. As a an event the organizers achieved everything they set out to do, to join people together from far and wide in a celebration of Sega’s poster boy. With live performances, guest appearances, competitions and much more, all entirely fan run, it was my opinion a massive success. Now to catch the train home, complete with Sonic hat of course!

Review of the event by Audio Sprite (Richard Tulk)
For more info and links:
www.gamesyouloved.com/friends/audiosprite/

More info on the event here too:
http://2013.summerofsonic.com/